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Damon S. Baird
Corporal Damon Baird was a dedicated tech-head and professional skeptic. In Baird's world, if something can go wrong, it probably already has. His sarcasm can keep people at a distance, which is why he prefers the company of machines. He believes in the Coalition's cause, but he's often frustrated with command decisions, and the fact the COG sacrifice rights over security. He took offense when Colonel Hoffman promoted Marcus Fenix to Sergeant to lead Delta Squad instead of him. Baird has a history of being promoted and demoted for being outspoken. Damon Baird was a former member of Alpha Squad and has been wearing the uniform as long as Marcus has. He was later reassigned to Delta Squad after the former unit was essentially wiped out by the Locust. He was partially (if not directly) responsible for the deploying of both the Sonic Resonator and the Lightmass Bomb. Baird's main strength lies in his intelligence, although he is a capable soldier as well. He is probably the closest thing the COG has to a Locust expert as he observes and studies them extensively while engaged in combat. He can even read some measure of their language. And as if that wasn't enough, he excels in mechanics, hacking, repair, and other technical abilities. He treats building a bomb like giving someone a breath mint. Biography Early Life Baird was born into a rich family,Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 75 and grew up loving machines. Building things and messing with machines were the only "happy memory" he had of his childhood.Gears of War:Jacinto's Remnant pg 105 Baird had originally wanted to go to engineering school, but his father refused to give him his inheritance unless he enlisted in the military.Gears of War:Jacinto's Remnant pg 153 Baird, along with Cole, enlisted for the COG on E-Day.Gears of War:Barren Issue Four Lightmass Offensive Begining of the Offensive Fourteen years after Emergence Day, Baird was a member of Alpha Squad, along with Augustus Cole, Jan Rojas, and Gyules.Gears of War: [[Act 1: Ashes They were tasked with deploying the Sonic Resonator to map the Locust tunnels, but lost contact with command. Several members of the squad were killed, and Rojas and Cole were seperated from the others.Gears of War: Act 1: Ashes: Hammer Baird, Gyules, and one other Gear took refuge outside of the Tomb of the Unknowns, but were pinned down by Troikas on top of the House of Sovereigns. Baird managed to get a hold of Delta-One, who had been sent to rescue them, after Delta killed three Seeders that had been jaming the comms. He told them about the Troika on the House of Sovereigns roof, and told them to take it out and hurry to assist them. Delta took out the Troika operators, and used them to clear the Locust forces. He was then reunited with Cole, who informed him of Rojas death. As they waited for pickup, the Gears came under attack. They were overwhelemd, and forced to flee into the Tomb, but both Lt.Minh Young Kim and the unknown Gear in Alpha were killed.Gears of War: Act 1: Ashes: Wrath However, they became trapped inside the Tomb with a Berserker, and Gyules was killed. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, two Gears from Delta, managed to lure the Berserker outside and kill her while Baird and Cole guarded the resonator. When they rejoined Marcus and Dom, Baird became angry when Marcus was promoted to sergeant instead of him. Col.Victor Hoffman tells them that Ravens are unable to reach them due to the Locust presence, but Dom says he has a plan and the four Gears begin to move out.Gears of War: Act 1: Ashes: China Shop Getting Help from the Stranded As they walk, Baird is contemptful that Dom actully has a plan. When they reach a fork in the road, Baird goes with Marcus down one way, while Cole and Dom go down the other. Two Boomers appear in their path and blow open a door, but the four Gears get them in a crossfire and take them down. As they continue to progress, they find a Corpser, which retreats back into an Emergence Hole. Baird worries that it is saving them for a snack, which Marcus doubts. After killing a group of Drones and regrouping, Dom reveals that his plan is to borrow a Junker from a Stranded. Baird is surprised by this, and asks him if he hangs out with Stranded. This annoys Dom, and he tells Baird he is looking for someone. When they exit the building they are in, the Corpser tunnels underneath them, causing Baird to tell Marcus that he knew it was chasing them. As they fight their way to the Stranded camp, to Corpser continues to toy with them. They fight their way to the camp, and s they walk through it, Baird trades insults with one of the Stranded. Dom negotiates for use of the Junker from Franklin Tsoko, on the condition that Baird and Cole stay at the camp, much to Baird's annoyance.Gears of War: Act 2: Nightfall: Tick Tick Boom After Marcus and Dom cross the river, they contact Baird, and ask how it's going. Baird inform them that somebody found out that Cole played Thrashball, and that now nobody will stop talking to him about it. When the Stranded gave them food to eat, Baird was worried about geting dysentery from the food, but was ordered by Marcus to shut up and eat. Baird was apparently correct about the food, as the next time Marcus tried to contact him, Cole answered instead and told him Baird was in the toliet.Gears of War: Act 2: Nightfall: Lethal Dusk Battle at the Stranded Outpost Shortly afterwords, Lt.Anya Stroud informed them that Locust were approaching their postion, and Baird and Cole began taking defensive actions. When Marcus contacted him again, he reported that they were under attack, and that Marucs and Dom needed to return. When they finally returned with the vehicle, the helped Baird, Cole, and several Stranded fight off the attacking Locust. The four Gears then got into the Junker, and Baird drove it to the Lethia Imulsion Facility.Gears of War: Act 2: Nightfall: Last Stand Lethia Imulsion Facility After their vehicle broke down, Baird and the rest of Delta proceeded on foot to the facility. They found the entrence locked, and Marcus sent Baird and Cole left to find an entrance while he and Dom went right.Gears of War: Act 3: Belly of the Beast: Downpour Baird and Cole found an entrance into the basement, while Marcus and Dom entered through the roof. Marcus then ordered them to find a way to get the lights on, and locate the Cart Control Room. Baird succeeded in restoring power, which he gleefully reported to Marcus. He was surprised when Marcus told them he and Dom found a suriving Stranded, and asked if he could find out if the guy had a geobot, since he needed on to fix the Junker, but Marcus just told him to keep his mind on finding the cart control room. He then warned them to watch the vents, since they kept hearing Wretchs in them. To Baird's great discomfort, he and Cole were forced to enter the sewer system in order to proceed further into the facility. They passed under a grate, and spoke to Marcus and Dom, and invited them down as there was plenty of room. Dom and Marcus declined, so Baird and Cole continued on to the cart control room. They regrouped with Marcus and Dom not long after, and Baird told them not to say one word about how they smelled. They fight their way to through Lambent Wretches, Drones, and Boomers to the control room,Gears of War: Act 3: Belly of the Beast: Evolution where each Gear hops into a mine cart and heads down deeper into the facility. Baird fight alongside Marcus to the drilling platforms, which they board and head down into the Hollow.Gears of War: Act 3: Belly of the Beast: Coalition Cargo Deploying the Resonator After arriving in the Hollow, Baird complains how it stinks, and that there is Kryll shit everywhere. Marcus is worried about the resonator being damaged, so he orders Baird and Cole to hang back and guard it while he and Dom scout ahead, which Baird has no problem with. He was contacted a short while later by Marcus, and was informed that the path was too dangerous for the resonator, and that he and Cole needed to find an alternate route. As they proceeded through the mine, Marcus informed him that a Corpser was stalking him and Dom.Gears of War: Act 3: Belly of the Beast: Darkest Before Dawn Baird and Cole regrouped with them just in time for them to see the Corpser die,Gears of War: Act 3: Belly of the Beast: Angry Titan and finally reached the pumping station. Baird and Cole flanked the station from the right, while Marcus and Dom attacked it from the left. They killed the Therons guarding the station, and Baird deployed the resonator. The four Gears made it back to the surface, and collapsed onto the ground, happy that their mission was over. However, Col.Hoffman contacted them and informed them that the resonator had barely mapped any of the tunnels. Baird then discovered from a geobot he had hacked into that a full map of the tunnels was at the Fenix Estate, located at the East Barricade Academy.Gears of War: Act 3: Belly of the Beast: Tip of the Iceberg East Barricade Academy Baird and Delta boarded KR Six-Four, and headed to the Academy along with another squad in KR Two-Five. During the flight, Two-Five was shot down by Nemacyst, and Six-Four was forced to land some distance away from the Fenix Estate. The are Baird and the others were dropped in was heavily defended by Locust, but they were able to kill them all. Afterwords, they learned there were survivors from the other Raven, and headed to rescue them. When they reached the crash site, they found two survivors. Baird and Cole stayed with them, and gave them medical treatment while waiting for a King Raven to medevac them.Gears of War: Act 4: The Long Road Home: Campus Grinder They came under attack, and Baird informed Marcus that their situation was FUBAR and that they had to fall back. They then began to make their way to the Fenix Estate.Gears of War: Act 4: The Long Road Home: Bad to Worse When they arrived at the house, Baird found APC-142 in the backyard. After regrouping with Marcus and Dom in the courtyard, he ordered Baird to fix it while Cole guarded him and they got the data.Gears of War: Act 4: The Long Road Home: Imaginary Place After he fixes it, they go back into the house and defend it against a Locust counterattack. Marcus and Dom return from the basement, and send them back to prepare the APC for extraction. Once JACK has the data, Baird, the rest of Delta, and JACK get on the APC and escape.Gears of War: Act 4: The Long Road Home: Entrenched while searching for a way to restore power to the Timgad Bridge.]] Stuck at Timgad Bridge As they head toward Timgad Station to deliver the targeting data to the train with the bomb, they find the Timgad Bridge is raised and uncrossable. Baird heads with Marcus to raise the bridge. They find the bridge is out of power, and Delta is attacked by the Locust. After they defeat them, Baird realizes that the Locust were waiting for them, and that they knew what they were doing. After being ordered to stay and guard the APC with Cole while Marcus and Dom try to find a way to restore the power, Baird protests, saying there has to be a better way. However, Marcus shouted him down, telling him it was his squad, and his decision. However, Marcus later found his path blocked by too many enemies, and contacted Baird and Cole to coordinate with Anya to find an alternate route. In a building overlooking Nassar Memorial Park, they talked to Marcus and Dom, and Baird directed them on where to go. When a group of Locust approached on the ground, Baird and Cole covered Marcus and Dom. After killing most of the Locust, Marcus ordered Baird to find the powerlines and have JACK start on the repairs.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Impasse As they got to the powerlines, a Brumak arrived. Marcus ordered them to keep it away from the powerlines, and Cole got its attention so that it followed Baird and him. After they thought they lost it, they headed back to the powerlines, only to have the Brumak show up again and be forced to keep running. They managed to escape it, and JACK repaired the powerlines, but the Brumak had them cut off from the APC.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Comedy of Errors They regrouped with Marcus and Dom behind a theater, and the four of them hunted down and killed the Seeder that was jamming the comms. They then headed to Timgad Central Energy to raise the bridge.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Window Shopping Once they reached it, Baird, Cole, and JACK headed off to find a way to restore the power. However, Baird discovered that the Locust had been taking parts to the station underground, and worked with JACK to attempt to fix what he could. He directed Marcus to turn off several panels and switches to help in the repairs. He managed to get the power flowing, but needed something to connect two transformer blocks.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Powers That Be Marcus and Dom tricked the Brumak into connecting them, and the bridge lowered. Delta then returned to the APC and continued to Timgad Station.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Jurassic Proportions Deploying the Lightmass Bomb When they reached the station, Baird and the others battled against Locust forces as they waited for the train to pass by. As it did, Marcus and Dom jumped aboard, but Baird and Cole were unable to make it.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Special Delivery He contacted Marcus, and told him they would catch a ride on a King Raven. They were picked up by a Raven with Col.Hoffman aboard, and Baird contacted Marcus to let him know they were on the way.Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Train Wreck As Marcus and Dom fought General RAAM, Baird manned one of the turrets on the King Raven and provided support against Kryll and Reavers flying alongside the train. After Marcus deployed the Lightmass Bomb,Gears of War: Act 5: Desperation: Pale Horse Baird and the rest of Delta were honored for their part in the Lightmass Offensive.Gears of War 2: Act 1: Tip of the Spear: Welcome to Delta The Eagle Newspaper collectible After the Lightmass Offensive Ambush on Sovereigns Boulvard One week after the bombing, Baird was on patrol with the rest of Delta-One in Ephyra, when they come under attack from a small group of Drones. During the battle, Dom's life is saved by an unknown sniper. Baird shouts out for the sniper to show themselves, but got no response. After Dom and Cole scouted the area briefly, Marcus got a report that Echo Squad was under attack along Sovereigns Boulevard, and they rushed to help.Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 4-16 When they arrived, they found Echo pinned down inside a mall with a Boomer and a dozen Drones trying to break in. Marcus had Baird and Cole cover him and Dom while they took out the Boomer, and once they succeeded, Baird and the rest of the Gears wiped out the remaining Drones. As they waited for a King Raven to medevac a wounded member of Echo, Dom headed off to find Pvt.Harries Lancer, which had been lost when Harrie was killed. As they waited for Dom to return, they heard firing, and Baird, Cole, and Marcus rushed to see what was going on. They found Dom with former sergeant Bernadette Mataki, who had startled him and caused him to open fire. Baird, unlike Cole, was unimpressed with her, and remained silent on the way back to Wrightman Base.Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 23-37 Evacuation of North Gate During the Evacuation of North Gate, Baird, along with Cole and Bernie, were in APC-Three. Baird and the convoy reach North Gate Agricultural Depot safely, but on the trek back, Two-forty-five broke down and Baird volunteered to repair the truck. However, Locust forces opened up an emergence hole right in front of the vehicle. Baird was able to save the driver, Jeff Tatton, but the gunner was killed. Baird helped Jeff and the body of the gunner get back to the APC, but it was destroyed by a boomshot. Baird was able to make it back to Jacinto but ended up in a fight with Bernadette Mataki. Deployed to the Dorado Hills Seven weeks after the Evacuation of North Gate, Baird and Cole were reassigned to Sigma-One, and were deployed to the Dorado Hills.Gears of War: Hollow Issue Two As they headed back to Jacinto in Centaur II-W0801, they picked up a distress signal from Delta-One, who were under attack by a Brumak. They rushed to assist, and Cole managed to wound the Brumak with a Boomshot. Baird picked up Delta while Marcus tied their squads APC to the Centuar, and they rushed to escape the Brumak. It was killed when one of its shots hit the canyon wall and buried it under a pile of rocks. Baird stopped the Centaur in a field, and talked with Marcus and Dom. He asked what their mission was, and they told him they were heading to Montevado to investigate seismic disturbances. Baird told them he wouldn't be able to fix their APC, but Cpl.Michael Barrick found two COG Bikes Delta could take instead. Baird and Cole then returned to Jacinto in the Centaur, taking Lily, a girl that Pvt.Jace Stratton had saved, with them.Gears of War: Hollow Issue Four Mission to Jilane After a distress call comes in from the city of Jilane, the location of a old Farm, Col.Victor Hoffman ordered Baird and Cole, along with Sgt.Alex Brand from Foxtrot, to be incorporated into Delta-One and enter the city to look for any survivors. Baird instantly takes a disliking to Alex and points out that a woman scout on a battlefield would only lead them to a "beauty parlor". After entering Jilane, he began to question Alex's scouting abilities and until they were ambushed by the GBL,Gears of War: Barren Issue One a Stranded group of Jilane women and children. Baird gets into an engagement with Annalisa only to be stopped by Dom, Cole and Jace. After entering a truce with GBL and discovering what happened after the COG evacuated the city, Fenix, along with Baird and Cole discover the source of the distress call: a crazed woman (or in Baird's words, "retard") alerting the Locust Horde.Gears of War: Barren Issue Two Operation Hollow Storm Assault on Landown Four months after the mission to Jilane, Baird and Sigma take part in Operation: Hollow Storm. During the Assault on Landown, he rode on Rig D28, aka "Marilyn". On the road to Landown, Baird and the rest of Sigma saved Delta after their rig broke down by providing covering fire as it was being repaired.Gears of War 2: Act 1: Tip of the Spear: Rolling Thunder When they reached Landown, they saved Delta once again when their rig and Centaur Four-Nine took out a Troika gun postion that had them pinned.Gears of War 2: Act 1: Tip of the Spear: Roadblocks After reaching their drill site, they defended it from the Locust counterattack. Their driver was killed, but they managed to deploy in their Grindlifts and enter the Hollow.Gears of War 2: Act 1: Tip of the Spear: Digging In Captured, Rescued, and Eaten Baird's Grindlift jumpmate was Tanner, and they were captured shortly after touching down in the Hollow. Tanner is killed, but Baird is rescued by Cole and Delta-One, and rejoins them. He tells them that the Locust were going to take him to be "processed", and that people are being tourtured on Beast Barges. They raid two of them, and find Cpl.Tai Kaliso in the second one. Marcus hands him a shotgun, not realizing Tai's mental state, and is shocked when he kills himself. Baird berates Marcus for giving him a weapon, and they quickly leave the barge. They fight their way back into the sunken city towards a chopper pick up, but the LZ comes under attack. They manage to board the Raven under fire, but as it takes off, the Rift Worm arrives and knocks debris into it, and causes the Raven to crash inside the Rift Worm.Gears of War 2: Act 2: Denizens: Captivity Pvt.Benjamin Carmine is killed inside the riftworm, but Baird and the rest of Delta manage to destroy all three of its hearts, killing it. Col.Victor Hoffman then sends them to the New Hope Research Facility to try and find information on the Locust stronghold.Gears of War 2: Act 2: Denizens: Intestinal Fortitude The New Hope Facility Once they arrive at the facility, Marcus orders Baird and Cole to stay with the Centaur while he and Dom look for the data. Baird is skeptical that anyone will attack them out in the middle of nowhere, but stays with the tank. After a short while, Marcus comms Baird and tells him he need a blast charge, and Baird asks if he wants it regular or extra strangth. Marcus tells him extra strangth, and Baird quickly builds it before they make it back to the tank. As they carry it away, Baird warns them to get out of the blast radius, and not to drop it.Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Dirty Little Secret When the weather begins to worsen, Baird contacts Marcus and informs of it. When it appears that razorhail is on the way, Baird and Cole head inside the facility to take cover.Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Origins After Marcus and Dom find the data, Baird contacts them and tells them that the razorhail has started. Marcus orders him to find a way to get back to the Centaur as quick as he can. However, the razorhail continued coming down, keeping Baird and Cole away from the Centaur, which began taking damage from the razorhail. When Marcus and Dom were almost back to the Centaur, the razorhail finaly let up, but Baird needed to repair damage to the tank. As he did this, Marcus, Dom, and Cole defended him from Locust and Reavers. Once he was done, Delta got in the tank and headed for the location of the Loust stronghold: Mount Kadar.Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Rude Awakening Mount Kadar and the Assault on Nexus When they arrived at Mount Kadar, Marcus piloted the Centaur up the mountain, with Baird complaining about his driving and fixing any damage to the tank along the way. After they enter the mountain and fight there way down into it,Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Ascension they find a Stranded camp led by Chaps. He gives them information on where Nexus, the Locust stronghold, is, and Dom information on Maria. Marcus sends Baird and Cole back to the surface in the Centaur to get the Stranded to safety, much to Baird's annoyance.Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Displacement They regroup with the rest of the Gear army, and once Marcus and Dom set of JACK's beacon, arrive in Nexus aboard a Grindlift. They rejoined Marcus and Dom, and fought their way to the Locust Palace, while discovering that the Locust were involved in a civil war with the Lambent.Gears of War 2: Act 4: Hive: No Turning Back As they fought their way down the Palace levels, they stopped in a Locust control room, where Biard cut power from the Queens broadcast system, and allowed Cole to launch a profanity laden speech against the Locust. They then discovered a recording in the Locust computers of Adam Fenix, Marcus's father. It recomended that the Locust Hollows be flooded in order to defeat the Locust, an act which would require the sinking of Jacinto. Baird was skeptical it would work, but Marcus sent the information to command just in case they were unable to kill the Queen.Gears of War 2: Act 4: Hive: The Best-Laid Plans After fighting their way into the throne room, Baird and Cole pursued the Queen while Marcus and Dom fought Skorge. However, the Queen escaped aboard a Reaver, and Skorge attacked Delta from a Hydra. They boarded Reavers themselves, with Baird flying one with Dom as the gunner, and Marcus and Cole on a seconded Reaver.Gears of War 2: Act 4: Hive: Royal Inquisitions They escaped the Hollow, killing Skorge and his Hydra, and headed toward Jacinto to carry out the plan to evacuate and sink it.Gears of War 2: Act 5: Aftermath: Escape Sinking of Jacinto When they arrived in Jacinto, Marcus assigned Baird and Cole to help prepare a Lightmass Bomb to sink Jacinto while he and Dom cleared the target area.Gears of War 2: Act 5: Aftermath: Desperate Stand Baird flew into the target area aboard KR-239, but the King Raven carrying the Lightmass Bomb was destroyed by a Lambent Brumak. After Baird and Mitchell pulled Marcus and Dom off of the Brumak, Marcus used the Hammer of Dawn to take it out and cause it to explode, sinking Jacinto.Gears of War 2: Act 5: Aftermath: Closure As they flew away from the sinking city, they saw Cole, Anya, Prescott, and Hoffman evacuating on KR-471, and Baird was happy to see that Cole made it. However, when comms were reestablished, he found out that Dom had been forced to kill his wife down in the Hollow to end he suffering.Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant pg 7-9 When they picked up a distress call coming from Bernie, they headed over to rescue her from atop of the Allfathers Library. During the flight, Baird clipped a safety line to the back of Dom's armor to make sure nothing happened to him, and was surprised to see a submarine among the fleet leaving Jacinto. After they pulled Bernie off of the building, Baird helped her into a seat and draped a blanket around her, much to her surprise. He complimented her knife skills she had shown while dealing with a Drone that had climbed on the roof with her, and did his best to be polite to everyone. When she noticed Cole wasn't with them, Baird reassured her that he was okay, and listened as Marcus gave her a rundown on who had been killed.Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant pg 17-27 After the fall of Jacinto Personalty and Traits Baird is a rather negative person, and is usually sarcastic and unkind. He speaks his mind freely, a trait that often annoys (or even hurts) others, and sometimes gets him into trouble. Baird offended Marcus when he talked about his mother, and was actually punched by Bernadette Mataki because he ran his mouth off too much. Despite this, his intelligence and ability as a mechanic make him a valuable addition to any squad, though during the Mission to Jilane, Baird showed a chauvinistic attitude towards Alex Brand and Jilane survivorsGears of War:Barren Issue 10. During the Evacuation of North Gate he berated Cole for giving a group of stranded children ration bars, referring to them as 'Parasites'. Cole says that in all the times Baird had ever mentioned or reminisced of his childhood, he hardly mentioned his parents rather many inventions he created, leading some to believe he was not on very good terms with them. Baird says that he never wanted to join the army in the first place, but rather claims that his father forced him to, as he wouldn't receive his inheritance unless he made it through at least one tour of service. Baird claims that he sold out his future for money that should have rightfully been his, and has since come to believe that in a world where people are in a constant struggle to survive, "skills" will be the new money, earning your place by your usefulness, rather then the money you have. =Notable Quotes= Non-Canon Quotes =Behind the Scenes= *Baird "hosts" all the official Top 5 Gears of War Series videos, providing typical in-character color commentary even as he breaks the fourth wall. *After saving Baird from being trapped, you will unlock an achievement called "Freebaird!" This is a reference to Lynyrd Skynyrds' song "Freebird". Multiplayer Damon Baird is initially available for multiplayer in both Gears of War 1 and 2. =References= Category:COG Category:Gear Soldier Category:Males Category:Gear Soldier Category:Characters Category:Pendulum Wars veterans